Substrate seal test method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

A method for testing whether a sealing method is effective may include the steps of testing a flow characteristic of the substrate, sealing the substrate, re testing the flow characteristic of the substrate, then comparing the before and after flow characteristics of the substrate to determine whether the sealing step was effective or to quantify a sealing effectiveness to the sealing step.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation in part application to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/110,289, filed on Aug. 23, 2018, whichclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/597,403 filed onDec. 11, 2017, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporatedherein by reference.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to water sealing a porousconcrete structure, and more specifically to crack filling and porousstructure sealing systems and methods which allow for testing of crackfilling effectiveness.

2. Description of the Related Art

There may be various deficiencies in measuring the effectiveness ofcrack filling in concrete structures, including primarily relying onobservation when there is a range of influencing variable factors, suchas crack geometry, water sources, hydrostatic pressure, and type offilling substance.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for crack filling applicationsthat improve on measuring the effectiveness of filling. Various aspectsof the present disclosure address this particular need, as will bediscussed in more detail below.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, there maybe provided a method of filling a crack in a concrete structure, wherethe crack may extend into the concrete structure from a first surface.The method may include a step of forming a first drill hole in theconcrete structure. The first drill hole may extend into the concretestructure from the first surface to the crack and have an end at thefirst surface spaced from the crack. The method may include another stepof forming a test hole in the concrete structure in spaced relation tothe first drill hole. The test hole may extend into the concretestructure from the first surface to the crack and have an end at thefirst surface spaced from the crack. The method may include another stepof conducting a baseline flow test by directing a test liquid into thetest hole to determine at least one baseline liquid flow characteristic.The method may include another step of injecting a filling substanceinto the first drill hole and into the crack to at least partially fillthe crack. The method may include another step of conducting a qualityflow test by directing the test liquid into the test hole to determineat least one quality liquid flow characteristic following hardening ofthe filling substance in the crack.

The method may include another step of comparing the at least onebaseline liquid flow characteristic to the at least one quality liquidflow characteristic to determine an effectiveness of the injecting step.

The method may include another step of forming a second drill hole inthe concrete structure on an opposite side of the crack relative to thefirst drill hole. The second drill hole may extend into the concretestructure from the first surface to the crack and have an end at thefirst surface spaced from the crack. The method may include another stepof injecting a filling substance into the second drill hole and into thecrack.

The first drill hole may be formed by drilling into the concrete at anangle relative to the first surface that is non-orthogonal to the firstsurface.

The test liquid may be water directed into a test hole, and the baselineliquid flow characteristic may be a baseline flow rate, Q₁, and abaseline pressure, P₁, of the water flow through the test hole. The testliquid may be water directed into a test hole, and the quality liquidflow characteristic may be a quality flow rate, Q₂, and a baselinepressure, P₂, of the water flow through the test hole. The comparisonmay be between a baseline ratio, Q₁/P₁, and a quality ratio, Q₂/P₂.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, themethod may include another step of inserting a plug into the test hole.The plug may extend at least partially into the crack when inserted intothe test hole. The method may include another step of removing the plugfrom the test hole after the step of injecting the filling substanceinto the first drill hole.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, theremay be a method of filling a crack in a concrete structure with a tuberesiding inside the crack. The method may include a step of conducting abaseline flow test by directing a test liquid into the crack via thetube. The method may include another step of injecting a fillingsubstance into the crack via the tube to at least partially fill thecrack. The method may include another step of conducting a quality flowtest by directing the test liquid into the crack via the tube followinghardening of the filling substance in the crack.

The baseline flow test may include directing water into the crack viathe tube to determine a baseline flow rate, Q₁, and a baseline pressure,P₁, of the water flow through the crack. Conducting a quality flow testmay include directing water into the crack via the tube to determine aquality flow rate, Q₂, and a baseline pressure, P₂, of the water flowthrough the crack. There may be another step of comparing a baselineratio, Q₁/P₁, to a quality ratio, Q₂/P₂.

The method may include another step of cleaning inside the tube prior tothe filling substance hardening.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, theremay be a step of forming a dead hole that extends into the concretestructure from the first surface and has an end between the firstsurface and a second surface. The distance between the first surface andthe second surface may define a thickness of the concrete structure.Conducting a baseline flow test may include directing water into thedead hole to determine a baseline flow rate, Q₁, and a baselinepressure, P₁, of the water flow through the dead hole.

The present disclosure will be best understood by reference to thefollowing detailed description when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a concrete tunnel;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a first surface of the tunnel having a crackformed thereon;

FIG. 3 is a cross section view of the crack shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the first surface of the tunnel shown in FIG. 2with drill holes and test holes drilled along the crack;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the drill hole and test hole shown in FIG.4 undergoing a baseline flow test;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a dead hole undergoing a baseline flowtest;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a drill hole being injected with a fillingsubstance;

FIG. 8 depicts a filled drill hole and a test hole undergoing a qualityflow test;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the joint with the injection tube systemshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the joint with the injection tube systemundergoing a baseline flow test;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the joint with the injection tube systembeing injected with a filling substance;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the joint with the injection tube systemundergoing a quality flow test;

FIG. 13 depicts a drill hole and a test hole with a plug being insertedinto it;

FIG. 14 depicts a mechanical packer for packing filling substanceinserted into the drill hole shown in FIG. 13 and the test hole shown inFIG. 13 with the plug fully inserted;

FIG. 15 depicts the drill hole shown in FIG. 13 being filled with afilling substance while the test hole shown in FIG. 13 is plugged;

FIG. 16 depicts a cross section of the test hole shown in FIG. 15 at thecrack;

FIG. 17 depicts the plug of the plugged test hole shown in FIG. 15 beingremoved.

FIG. 18 depicts a cross section of the test hole shown in FIG. 17 at thecrack;

FIG. 19 depicts the drill hole and the test hole shown in FIG. 17undergoing a quality flow test;

FIG. 20 depicts a cross section of the test hole shown in FIG. 19 at thecrack;

FIG. 21 is a schematic view of the components of the testing equipment;

FIG. 22 is a schematic view of the test liquid flow and the electricalconnections between the components of the testing equipment;

FIG. 23 is a graph of a baseline flow test flow rate data against time;

FIG. 24 is a graph of a baseline flow test pressure data against time;

FIG. 25 is a graph of a quality flow test flow rate data against time;

FIG. 26 is a graph of a quality flow test pressure data against time;

FIG. 27 illustrates a porous concrete structure; and

FIG. 28 is a cross sectional view of the porous concrete structure shownin FIG. 27.

Common reference numerals are used throughout the drawings and thedetailed description to indicate the same elements. Moreover, the sameelement for the second embodiment as in the first embodiment may use thesame reference numeral but with 100 added to such reference numeral.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1-26, wherein the showings are for illustratingpreferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not forpurposes of limiting the same, the present disclosure relates to systemsand methods for filling a crack 10 (see FIG. 1) in a concrete structure12 and testing the seal effectiveness of a filling substance 22 (seeFIGS. 16, 18, 20) used to fill the crack 10. Generally, there may beprovided a method that may include forming a drill hole 16 and a testhole 18 in the concrete structure 12, such that both the drill hole 16and the test hole 18 may extend into the crack 10 in spaced relation toeach other. A baseline flow test may be conducted by directing a testliquid 20 (e.g., water) into the test hole 18 to determine at least onebaseline liquid flow characteristic (e.g., pressure, flow rate). Afterthe baseline flow test, the filling substance 22 may be injected intothe drill hole 16 and into the crack 10 to at least partially fill alength of the crack 10 near the drill hole 16. Following hardening ofthe filling substance 22 in the crack 10, a quality flow test may beconducted by directing the test liquid 20 into the test hole 18 todetermine at least one quality liquid flow characteristic. The baselineliquid flow characteristic may be compared to the quality liquid flowcharacteristic to determine an effectiveness of the injection. Forinstance, the baseline flow test may reveal a high flow rate and lowpressure, indicative of the crack 10 not being filled. Conversely, thequality flow test may show low flow rate and high pressure, indicativeof the crack 10 being suitably filled by the filling substance 22. Ifthe quality flow test shows a high flow rate and low pressure, that maybe an indication that the crack 10 may not be suitably filled.

Moreover, referring now to FIGS. 27 and 28, the present disclosure alsorelates to systems and methods for testing permeability or porosity of asubstrate 112. The systems and methods may be used to test the sealeffectiveness of the sealing method or to compare the porosity ofdifferent substrates to one another.

For example, the systems and methods discussed herein may be used todetermine whether sealing a porous substrate (e.g., shotcrete) waseffective. In particular, the substrate 112 may be formed. After formingthe substrate, a pattern of test holes 118 may be formed in thestructure 1112. The permeability of the substrate 112 is determined.Thereafter, the substrate may be sealed, and the permeability of thesubstrate is determined again to see if the sealing method waseffective. Alternatively, the systems and methods described herein maybe used to determine the relative permeability or porosity of thedifferent substrates. In this regard, the systems and methods discussedherein may be used to rank the permeability or porosity of the differentsubstrates.

When determining whether a sealing method was effective, a baseline flowtest may be conducted by injecting a test liquid 20 into a plurality oftest holes 18 formed in the substrate 112. This step determines at leastone baseline liquid flow characteristic (e.g., flow rate or flow rate asa function of pressure). After the baseline flow test, the fillingsubstance may be injected into a plurality of drill holes 16 and allowedto permeate throughout the entire substrate 112 so as to fill channels170 and voids 172 in the substrate 112. Before the filling step, thetest holes 18 near the current active fill hole 16 may be plugged sothat the filling substance 122 does not enter the test hole 18 duringthe filling step. After the filling substance 200 has hardened or set, aquality flow test may be conducted by directing the test liquid into thetest hole to determine at least one quality liquid flow characteristicwhich may be compared to the baseline liquid flow characteristic. Thebaseline liquid flow characteristic may be compared to the qualityliquid flow characteristic to determine the effectiveness of theinjection step. In general, a filling step or injecting step iseffective if the ratio between flow and pressure increases before andafter the filling or injecting step, as discussed in relation to FIGS.23-26. The embodiment disclosed in relation to FIGS. 27 and 28 use allof the same aspects described in relation to FIGS. 1-26, but only theadditions or modifications are shown and described below in relation toFIGS. 27 and 28.

The systems and methods discussed herein may also be used to test therelative porosities or permeabilities of different structures ordifferent locations of one structure. These different structures mayhave been treated with different sealing methods. The testing device andmethod can determine relatively which structure is more or less porousor permeable.

The structure 12, 112 may include poured concrete, shotcrete, brickfilled with concrete and any other concrete structure or poroussubstrate. The porous substrate may be something other than concreteincluding but not limited to plastic, sand, rock, et cetera.

FIG. 1 shows a concrete structure 12, specifically a tunnel, having afirst surface 14 positioned away from a stratum layer made up ofgeological elements such as rocks and soil, and a second surface 15opposite the first surface 14 and positioned adjacent to the stratumlayer. As used herein, the term concrete structure broadly refers toother structures where cracks may occur, and which may be formed ofconcrete or similar substances, such as brick, rock, or the like. Otherconcrete structures 12 may include parking structures, elevator pits,etc. FIG. 2 shows a portion of the first surface 14 where a crack 10 hasformed in the concrete structure 12. The crack 10 shown is solely anexemplary leak source, and the current disclosure may also be applied toother types of cracks where water may leak in concrete structures 12,such as a joint 58 between two concrete slabs that are used in buildingthe concrete structure 12 or precast segment joints. The crack 10 may bethick enough to allow passage of water. The leak may be caused by waterfrom a rain event, overhead plant watering, or hydrostatic ground waterpressure. FIG. 3 shows a portion of the cross section of the crack 10extending from the second surface 15 to the first surface 14, wherewater may travel from the second surface 15 (see FIG. 1) to the firstsurface 14 (see FIG. 1).

The method of filling the crack may include forming drill holes 16 andtest holes 18 along the crack 10. FIG. 4 shows drill holes 16 and testholes 18 along the lateral crack 10 propagation extending from the firstsurface 14 into the concrete structure 12. The depth of the drill holes16 and test holes 18 may exceed the depth of the crack 10 from the firstsurface 14. Preferably, the drill holes 16 and test holes 18 penetratethe first surface 14 at a 45-degree angle and penetrate the crack 10 sothat the holes 16, 18 are on both sides of the crack 10. The drill holes16 may have a diameter between 0.2 inches and 3 inches, and morepreferably between 0.2 inches to 1 inch, and even more preferably 0.5inches. The drill holes 16 may be spaced 6 inches to 18 inches, and morepreferably 12 inches, apart by a distance. Likewise, the test holes 18may have a diameter between 0.2 inches and 3 inches, preferably 0.5inches, and may be drilled at a location within 3-inch to 7 feetdepending on the type of substrate, preferably 12-inch, space betweentwo drill holes 16. These measurements may be proportional to crack 10dimensions, meaning they may increase or decrease with crack 10 size. Adrill capable of drilling a 0.5-inch hole into concrete may be used todrill the drill holes 16 and test holes 18. The drill holes 16 and testholes 18 may be drilled at an angle between 20 degrees to 60 degrees,preferably 45 degrees to a plane parallel or tangent to the firstsurface 14. However, the drill angle may be between 60 degrees and 90degrees. For example, in thin substrates, the angle may be perpendicularor 90 degrees. A drill hole 18 may also be drilled on the opposite sideof the crack 10 relative to a drilled drill hole 18. Adjacent drillholes 16 may be drilled in opposite directions of each other. A testhole 18 may be drilled in the same direction as the drill hole 16 thetest hole 18 is being used to test. The drill holes 16 and test holes 18may be flushed out with water after drilling and prior to use.

FIG. 5 shows a preparation for directing a test liquid 20 or a test gasinto a test hole 18 to conduct a baseline flow test. A baseline flowtest may involve inserting a mechanical packer 28 into the test hole 18,pumping a test liquid 20 into the test hole 18 through the mechanicalpacker 28 at constant pressure, and taking readings of one or morebaseline liquid flow characteristic data with testing equipment (shownin FIGS. 21 and 22). Preferably, the baseline flow test should beconducted at most significant water flow areas first and then moved toareas with less flow. Determining the magnitude of water flow in an areamay simply require a visual inspection of the leak.

The mechanical packer 28 may generally be defined by a top, bottom,shaft, and rubber base. The diameter of the rubber base may correspondto the dimensions of the counterpart hole 16 or 18. As such, thediameter of the rubber base may be between 0.2 inches and 3 inches,preferably 0.5 inches, to fill the 0.2-inch to 3-inch, preferably 0.1inch to 1 inch, and more preferably 0.5-inch, test hole 18. The lengthof the mechanical packer 28, measured from top to bottom, may be between1 inch and 20 inches, and more preferably 4 inches. The mechanicalpacker 28 may be steel, aluminum, brass, zinc, or other metal alloysused in manufacturing packers for the concrete repair industry. A steelmechanical packer 28 may be preferred due to its high pressure toleranceand resistance to oxidation. However, an aluminum mechanical packer 28may be an alternative option due to its economical pricing andrelatively high pressure tolerance. An exemplary mechanical packer 28may be ACP-2011, which is supplied by Alchemy Spetec.

As shown in FIG. 5, the test liquid 20 may be water. The testingequipment may draw water 20 from a water source 32 and the volume ofwater required may depend on the dimensions of the crack 10. The watermay be drawn via an inlet hose 29 (shown in FIGS. 21 and 22). The inlethose 29 may be a nylon tube or any other similar material to have asimilar resistance to fatigue and fracture. The drawn water 20 may passthrough a pump 46 of the testing equipment that directs water 20 to themechanical packer 28 via an outlet hose 30 at a constant pressure. Thewater 20 pressure may be at least 10 psi and is preferably between 300psi, and more preferably 150 psi. The outlet hose 30 may be a materialsufficient to withstand the pressure rating of the water pump 46.

The baseline flow test may produce at least one baseline flowcharacteristic, and more preferably multiple baseline flowcharacteristics, such as baseline pressure and baseline flow rate. A lowbaseline flow pressure and a high baseline flow rate may be observed dueto the drill hole 16, the crack 10, and the test hole 18 having not yetbeen filled with the filling substance 22. The pressure and flow ratemay be measured by the testing equipment as the water travels from themechanical packer 28 that is inside the test hole 18 into the crack 10and exits through the second surface 15. The pressure may be measured inpsi and the flow rate may be measured in milliliters per minute (mL/min)since they are the industry standard units. However, the pressure andflow rate may ultimately be measured in any metric and English unit ofpressure and flow rate, respectively. The pressure and flow rate may becollected via a pressure meter 48 and flow meter 50, respectively. Thepressure meter 48 and the flow meter 50 may be connected to the waterline with water-tight T-fittings after water exits the pump 46. Thepressure meter 48 and flow meter 50 may measure data to be recorded at aspecified time interval set by the user. The preferable time intervalmay be 1 second to 2 minutes, and more preferably 30 seconds. Aprogrammable logic controller (“PLC”) may be in communication with thepressure meter 48 and flow meter 50 and receive real time pressure andflow readings. The PLC may be in communication with a human machineinterface (“HMI”) 52 and display the readings. The PLC may furthergenerate a data set computed by dividing the flow rate (“Q”) by thepressure (“P”) at a certain time, which may be referred to as the “QPFactor.” A unique location number may be assigned to each test hole 18via the HMI 52 to distinguish the data of each test hole 18 recording.Additionally, the number of readings to be taken and recorded may be setvia the HMI 52. Following the completion of data collection, therecorded data may be saved on a Universal Serial Bus (“USB”) drive byinserting the USB drive into a USB port 40 that is in communication withthe PLC. Preferably, the data may be collected at the end of eachtesting day.

Referring to FIG. 6, a second embodiment of a baseline flow test mayinclude injecting a test liquid 20 inside a hole 54 drilled intoconcrete where no crack 10 or joint 58 is present and taking pressureand flow measurements of the test liquid 20. The hole 54 may be referredto as a “dead hole.” A dead hole 54 may mimic a test hole 18 at leastpartially filled with filling substance 22. Conducting a baseline flowtest at the dead hole 54 and interpreting how similar the data of aquality flow test that follows is to that of the baseline flow test mayindicate the effectiveness of the crack 10 filling procedure.Preferably, the dead hole 54 may have a 0.2-inch to 3-inch, and morepreferably 0.5-inch diameter. The dead hole 54 may be drilled from thefirst surface 14 using a drilling tool capable of drilling a hole withthe dimensions mentioned here. The dead hole 54 may have a depth thatreaches halfway between the first surface 14 and second surface 15. Thetesting equipment may draw a test liquid 20, which may be water, from asource 32 and the volume of test liquid 20 required may depend on thedimensions of the dead hole 54. The test liquid 20 may be drawn anddirected into the dead hole 54 via a mechanical packer 28 as describedabove. The pressure and flow rate may be measured and recorded by thetesting equipment as the test liquid 20 travels from the mechanicalpacker 28 into the dead hole 54 as described above. Following thefilling procedure at the drill hole 16 and conducting a quality flowtest for the drill hole 16, the baseline flow test data and the qualitytest data, which may include pressure and flow rate, may be compared tointerpret the effectiveness of the filling based on the pressure andflow rate similarity between the two tests.

After conducting the baseline flow test and recording the data, themechanical packer 28 inside the test hole 18 may be removed, and a newmechanical packer 28 may be inserted into a drill hole 16 to inject afilling substance 22 into the crack 10, as shown in FIG. 7. Themechanical packer 28 may have the same specifications as those of themechanical packer 28 described above. Once inside the drill hole 16, themechanical packer 28 exterior may be flushed against the drill hole 16surface. The filling substance 22 may be drawn from a filling substancesource 34 and pumped into the drill hole 16 via a high pressure pump.The filling substance 22 may be a chemical grout including solutions oftwo or more chemicals that react to form a gel or foam product (e.g., asolid precipitate). There is a wide range of chemical grouts availablefor use in the industry (e.g., polyurethane resin, epoxy resin, polyurearesin, ultrafine cement grout). Considerations for selecting a chemicalgrout may include crack width, crack movement, amount of infiltration,method of injection, and jobsite conditions. The filling substance 22may be filled in from a particular drill hole 16 until the fillingsubstance 22 is observed at an adjacent drill hole 16. This signifiesthe filling substance 22 being filled in the crack 10 itself. Thefilling substance 22 may also partially or completely fill the adjacenttest hole 18. The filling substance 22 may harden at a rate based on theproperties of the chosen chemical grout.

Following the injection and hardening of the filling substance 22, aquality flow test may be conducted to compare the test results to thatof the baseline flow test, as shown in FIG. 8. A high-quality flowpressure and a low-quality flow rate may be observed due to the drillhole 16, the crack 10, and the test hole 18 having been filled with thefilling substance 22. Like the baseline flow test, a quality flow testmay involve inserting a mechanical packer 28 into the same test hole 18,pumping a test liquid 20 into the test hole 18 through the mechanicalpacker 28 at constant pressure (e.g., 150 psi), and taking readings ofone or more liquid flow characteristic data with testing equipment. Thesteps taken in conducting the quality flow test, the type of datacollected, and the method of recording data are the same as those of thebaseline flow test mentioned above. After the quality flow test isconducted for a particular drill hole 16 and test hole 18 pair and thedata has been recorded, the procedures discussed above may be repeatedfor an adjacent drill hole 16 and test hole 18 pair, starting with a newbaseline flow test. Alternatively, some or all drill holes 16 may befilled simultaneously and a quality flow test for each filled drill hole16 may be conducted at the same time using multiple testing equipment.

The methods mentioned above may be further modified to be compatiblewith injection tubes 56, as shown in FIGS. 9-12. Injection tubes 56allow injection of cold and construction joints 58 via a pre-installedinjection canal. An injection tube 56 may be placed in a joint 58 duringconstruction and may act as a canal for the filling substance 22, whichwill, when in contact with water, expand and seal the joint 58permanently. The baseline flow test mentioned above may be conducted foran injection tube 56 by connecting the supply outlet 30 to the injectiontube 56, injecting a test liquid 20 into the injection tube 56, andcollecting data for a specified time (e.g. 1 minute). The locationnumber of each injection tube 56 may be notated via the HMI 52 todistinguish the collected data. Next, the filling substance 22 may beinjected via the injection tubes 56. The filling substance 22 may be anacrylic chemical grout or other flushable filling substance. The fillingsubstance 22 and the filling process of the injection tubes 56 may varyacross the industry. Prior to the hardening of the filling substance 22,the injection tubes 56 may be flushed with water to ensure the injectiontube 56 channel stays open for further testing and filling injections.Following the hardening of the filling substance 22, the quality flowtest mentioned above may be conducted for the injection tubes 56 byrepeating the previously discussed steps of the baseline flow test forthe injection tubes 56. The data from both tests may be displayed on theHMI 52, saved on a USB drive, and graphed via a graphing software forcomparison to determine the effectiveness of the injection tube 56filling.

FIGS. 13-20 show another variation of the aforementioned method ofinjecting a filling substance 22 into the crack 10 and conducting aquality flow test. In this embodiment, a plug 26 may be inserted intothe test hole 18, as shown in FIG. 13. When the filling substance 22 isinjected from the drill hole 16, the plug 26 may prevent the fillingsubstance 22 from entering the test hole 18. When the plug 26 isremoved, the test hole 18 is empty with no filling substance 22. Thefilling substance 22 may be hardened around the plug 26 at the crack 10rather than allowing the filling substance 22 to reach inside the testhole 18 when filling the drill hole 16. The quality flow test datacollected, namely the quality flow pressure and flow rate, from the testliquid 18 traveling further down the test hole 18 into the crack 10 mayprovide a better understanding of how effective the filling procedurewas. The plug 26 may have a 0.2-inch to 3-inch, preferably 0.2 inch to 1inch and more preferably 0.5-inch, diameter and have an exterior that isflushed against the test hole 18, which may have a 0.2-inch to 3-inch,preferably 0.5-inch, diameter. The plug 26 may be complementary in shapeto the test hole 18 and long enough to, at least partially, and morepreferably completely intersect the crack 10. Next, the fillingsubstance 22 may be injected into the drill hole 16 and the crack 10with the plug 26 inserted, as shown in FIG. 14. FIG. 15 shows thefilling substance 22 filling the drill hole 16 up to and around themechanical packer 28 and the crack 10 partially, wherein the fillingsubstance 22 circumvents the plug 26. FIG. 16 shows a cross section ofthe plug 26 inside the test hole 18 and the filling substance 22surrounding it. Once the filling substance 22 hardens, the plug 26 maybe removed from the test hole 18. FIG. 17 shows the hardened fillingsubstance 22 filling the drill hole 16 up to the mechanical packer 28and the crack 10 partially, wherein the hardened filling substance 22surrounds the perimeter space of the plug 26. FIG. 18 shows a crosssection of the test hole 18 at the crack 10 and the filling substance 22surrounding it without the plug 26. Next, a quality flow test may beconducted by inserting a mechanical packer 28 into the test hole 18,pumping a test liquid 20 into the test hole 18 through the mechanicalpacker 28 at constant pressure (e.g., 150 psi) (see FIG. 19), and takingreadings of one or more liquid flow characteristic data with testingequipment (e.g., pressure and flow rate). The steps taken in conductingthe quality flow test, the type of data collected, and the method ofrecording data are the same as those of the baseline flow test mentionedabove. A high-quality flow pressure and a low-quality flow rate may beobserved due to the drill hole 16 and the crack 10 having been filledwith the filling substance 22. However, the quality flow pressure maybelower and the quality flow rate may be higher than those resulting froma quality flow test with a filled test hole 18. As better illustrated inthe cross-section depiction of FIG. 20, the flow of test liquid 20 maybe obstructed by the hardened filling substance 22 surrounding the testhole 18 at the crack 10, and a back pressure may be observed.

FIG. 21 shows a schematic diagram of the testing equipment used in bothbaseline and quality flow tests. The components of the testing equipmentmay be contained in a case 36. The case 36 may be waterproof. The case36 may include an on/off switch 38. The on/off switch 38 may be inelectronic communication with the PLC and the battery 44 and may turnon/off the HMI 52 when pressed. The case may further include a USBconnector 40. A USB drive may be connected to the USB connector 40,which may be in electronic communication with the PLC, and testing datamay be transferred from the PLC onto the USB drive. The case may furtherinclude a battery charging port 42. A charging cord may be connected tothe charging port 42 and may transmit power from a power source tocharge the battery 44 within the case 36. The case 36 may be connectedto an inlet line 29 and an outlet line 30, which may be hosesmanufactured from a pressure resistant material known in the industry,such as nylon.

As shown in FIG. 22, which is a schematic illustration of electrical andfluid related components of the testing equipment, the inlet line 29 maydirect a test liquid 20 into the pump 46. The pump 46 may be turnedon/off from the HMI 52, which may be in electronic communication withthe PLC, which may be connected to a relay switch that may open andclose the circuit that may power the pump 46. communication with thePLC. The pump 46 may be powered by the battery 44. The pump 46 maydirect the test liquid 20 into the pressure meter 48 and the flow meter50, both of which may be in electronic communication with the PLC. Thepressure meter 48 and the flow meter 50 may deliver real-time readingsto the PLC, which may be displayed on the HMI 52. After passing throughthe pressure meter 48 and the flow meter 50, the test liquid 20 may exitthe case 36 via the supply outlet 30, which may direct the test liquid20 to the mechanical packer 28 to ultimately travel into the test hole18.

The collected data from the baseline and quality flow tests may begraphed against time for comparison. A graphing software may be used togenerate the graphs and the data may be transferred to a computer inwhich the software runs via a USB drive. A flow rate versus time graphof baseline test results may indicate a high flow rate, such as in FIG.23. A pressure versus time graph of baseline test results may indicate alow pressure, such as in FIG. 24. These graphs may be helpful inunderstanding how water behaves in the crack 10 prior the injecting thefilling substance 22. In comparison, a flow rate versus time graph ofquality flow test results may indicate a low flow rate, such as in FIG.25, and a pressure versus time graph of quality flow test results mayindicate a high pressure, such as in FIG. 26. When the quality flow testgraphs are compared to those of the baseline test, the effectiveness ofthe crack 10 filling procedure may be gauged by the changes in pressureand flow rate. The relative decrease in the flow rate and increase inpressure may be a quantifiable effectiveness metric for the user. If thedesired effectiveness has been achieved, the drill holes 16 may bepatched. The test holes 18 may be patched or left open and marked forfuture testing.

Referring now to FIGS. 27 and 28, a substrate 112 is shown. Thesubstrate 112 may be a layer of shotcrete, a column of concrete, or anytype of porous substrate made from concrete or other materials. Thesubstrate 112 may have a thickness 113 as shown in FIG. 28. FIG. 28shows that the substrate may have a series of interconnecting channels170 to each other and voids 172. The voids 172 are large areas (i.e.,shadows in the shotcrete industry) in the substrate 112. The channels170 and voids 172 are interconnected which cause the substrate 112 to beporous. If water is poured on one side and pressure is applied, thewater will seep into the substrate 112 due to its permeability. Incontrast to FIG. 2, the substrate 112 does not have a limited number ofcracks as is shown and described in relation to the embodiment shown inFIG. 2. Rather, the channels 170 and voids 172 may exist throughout theentire substrate 112. For example, shotcrete may be porous. Flooring ora wall that is made from shotcrete may absorb water that is poured ontop of the surface or pushed through the surface.

The following method uses the device described above in relation toFIGS. 1-26 to measure permeability of the substrate 112 as well aseffectiveness of a sealing technique to reduce permeability of thesubstrate 112. In particular, the method may include the step of forminga pattern of fill holes 116 and test holes 118. The fill holes 116 anddrill holes 118 may be spaced apart from each other by a distance 174,176. The distance 174 laterally may be equal to the distance 176vertically. However, it is also contemplated that the lateral andvertical distances 174, 176 may be different from each other.Preferably, the distances 174, 176 are between 12 inches 48 inches.

The plurality of test holes 118 may be formed before the plurality offill holes 116. After drilling the test holes 118 and before drillingthe fill holes, a permeability test may be performed. Thereafter, theplurality of fill hole 116 may be formed. The fill hole 116 may then befilled with a filling substance to fill in the channels 170 and voids172. When the filling substance 122 is injected into the substrate 112via the fill holes 116, the test holes 118 are plugged so that thefilling substance does not enter the test holes 118 through the channels170 and voids 172 that interconnect the fill holes and the test holes.After the filling step, the user may then test the permeability via thetest holes 118 with a second permeability test to see if the sealing orfilling step was effective.

The fill holes 116 and the test holes 118 may be drilled into thesubstrate 112 so that they are generally perpendicular to an exteriorsurface 176. The fill and test holes 116, 118 may also be generallyparallel to each other, as shown in FIG. 28. In this regard, a centralaxis of the holes 116, 118 may be formed preferably to be within plus orminus of 15 degrees perpendicular to the exterior surface 176 andparallel to each other. Although the holes 116, 118 have these geometricrelationships to each other as well as the exterior surface 176, it isalso contemplated that the holes 116, 118 may be formed at skewed angles(i.e., greater than 15 degrees but less than 45 degrees) to the exteriorsurface 176 and with respect to each other. However, it is preferredthat the holes 116, 118 have a repeating pattern throughout thesubstrate 112 that is evenly spread apart.

Moreover, it is also contemplated that the holes 116, 118 is preferablydrilled to a depth 178, 180 which is about one-half the thickness 113 ofthe substrate 112. Moreover, although it is shown and described that thedepths 178, 180 of the fill and test holes 116, 118 may be equal to eachother, it is also contemplated that the depths 178, 180 may be differentfrom each other. Moreover, the depth can be more than or less thanone-half of the thickness 113 of the substrate 112. By way of exampleand not limitation, the depths 178, 180 may be one-quarter orthree-fourth of the thickness 113 of the substrate 112. In general, whenthe holes 116, 118 have a depth 178, 180 of one-half of the substrate113, the holes 116, 118 will hit or intersect a sufficient number ofchannels, 170, 172 that eventually lead to most or if not all of theother channels 170, 172. As such, if some of the channels do not fluidlyconnect to one of the fill holes 116 or test holes 118, thenon-connecting channels 170, 172 will be connected to the other ones ofthe test holes and drill holes 118, 116.

As indicated above, after the substrate 112 is formed, preferably, onlythe test holes 118 are formed in the substrate 112. A baseline flow testmay be conducted by introducing a test liquid 122 such as water into thetest holes 118 and measuring at least one baseline flow characteristic(e.g., flow rate and pressure). In particular, a mechanical packer 28may be inserted into the test hole 118. A test liquid such as water 120may be injected into the test holes 118 via the mechanical packer whileunder a constant pressure. The baseline flow characteristic of flow rateof water and pressure of water is read and recorded. The flow rate andthe pressure of water may define a permeability of the substrate 112.Before sealing the substrate 112, it is expected that the substrate 112may have a high flow rate as shown in FIG. 23 and a low pressure asshown in FIG. 24. After the sealing step, the flow characteristic istaken again to determine the permeability of the substrate 112.Preferably, the permeability decreases after sealing step.

After the baseline flow characteristic is red, the mechanical packers 28are removed from the test holes 118. The test holes 118 are then pluggedso that the filling substance 122 is not introduced into the test holes118 as the filling substance 122 is injected into the filling holes 116.

After the test holes 118 are filled with the plug to prevent the fillingsubstance 122 from being introduced into the test holes 118, the userthen proceeds to fill the substrate 112. In particular, a mechanicalpacker 28 may be inserted into the fill holes 116 to inject the fillingsubstance 122 into the substrate 112. The filling substance 122 may bepumped from the filling substance source into the fill holes 116 via ahigh pressure pump. The filling substance may be polyurethane, epoxy,polyacrylate, or microfine cement sold under the tradenameALCHEMY-SPETEC. The filling substance 122 is injected through thechannels 170 and the voids 172 under pressure. The goal is to push thefilling substance 122 throughout all of the channels 170 and voids 172.Since the channels 170 and voids 172 interconnect with each other in thesubstrate 112, the filling substance fills all of the pathways thatallows water or liquid to pass from one side of the substrate to theother side of the substrate 112. This decreases permeability of thesubstrate 112. After the filling substance 122 is injected into all ofthe fill holes 116, the user may remove the plugs from the test holes118. The mechanical packer 128 is then inserted into the test holes 118and the test liquid is then pumped into the test holes 118 to re-measurethe permeability of the substrate 112. In particular, the flow rate andthe pressure under which the liquid flows through the test holes 118 ismeasured and recorded. If the ratio between the flow rate and thepressure after the filling step is lower than the ratio of flow rate andpressure during the baseline flow test, then the permeability of thesubstrate 112 has been reduced. The flow rate over pressure provides aquantifiable measure of the improved permeability of the substrate 112via the sealing step. Other definitions of permeability may be utilized.By way of example and not limitation, a permeability may be measured asthe flow rate under a constant predetermined pressure. If the flow rateis reduced as shown by a comparison before and after the sealing step,then permeability is reduced.

In another application, the testing procedure described herein may beutilized in relation to a substrate that has injection tube waterstopspre placed in the substrate when the substrate was formed. Put simply,since concrete is prone to cracking and leaking, concrete workers mayplace injection tube waterstops at the time of forming the substrate.When the substrate leaks, injection leak sealing material can beinjected into the injection tube waterstops. In these substrates, thetest holes 18, 118 may be drilled into the exterior surface of thesubstrate. These test holes 18, 118 may be used to measure a baselineflow test before injecting the leak sealing material and a quality flowtest after curing of the leak sealing material. Based on flowcharacteristics (e.g., flow rate, flow pressure or a combination of thetwo), the effectively of injecting the leak seal material into theinjection tube waterstops may be measured.

Referring now to the embodiment described in relation to FIGS. 1-26, thedistance between the fill holes 16 with each other and the distancebetween the test holes 18 with each other may vary based on thecircumstances. By way of example and not limitation, the fill holes 16and the test holes 18 may be between 2 inches and 120 inches apart fromeach other. If a hairline crack is being sealed, then the fill and testholes 16, 18 may be spaced apart 2 inches away from each other. On theother hand, if the crack is very large, then the fill and test holes 16,18 may be spaced apart 120 inches away from each other. If the substrateis still leaking in a particular area, then the seal can be injectedinto new ports which are spaced apart closer to each other than beforewhere the liquid is still leaking on the substrate. Also, in a coldjoint application (i.e., where concrete is poured on existing concrete),the leakage in such an application may be more predictable. As such, thespacing between the fill and test holes 16, 18 may be large. If we havea large crack or joint that spans long distances, the spacing betweenthe fill and test holes 16, 18 may be up to 120 inches.

Moreover, for the porosity procedure described in relation to FIGS. 27and 28, different substrates (e.g., shotcrete, masonry, brick) mayrequire smaller or larger spacing between the fill and test holes 116,118. By way of example and not limitation, in a basement application,the fill and test holes 116, 118 may be about 2 to 4 inches apart fromeach other. On the other hand, on a bridge project, the spacings betweenthe test holes 116, 118 may be 20 to 40 feet apart from each other. Thefill holes 116 may be spaced apart as described above in relation toembodiment shown in FIGS. 1-26.

The particulars shown herein are by way of example only for purposes ofillustrative discussion and are not presented in the cause of providingwhat is believed to be most useful and readily understood description ofthe principles and conceptual aspects of the various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In this regard, no attempt is made to show any moredetail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of thedifferent features of the various embodiments, the description takenwith the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how thesemay be implemented in practice.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of testing effectiveness of a sealingprocedure on a concrete structure, the method comprising the steps of:forming a first drill hole in the concrete structure, the first drillhole extending into the concrete structure from a first surface, thefirst drill hole having an end at the first surface; forming a testdrill hole in the concrete structure in spaced relation to the firstdrill hole, the test drill hole extending into the concrete structurefrom the first surface, the test drill hole having an end at the firstsurface spaced from the end of the first drill hole; determining abaseline flow rate and a baseline pressure of a test liquid by directingthe test liquid into the test drill hole; plugging the test drill holewith a plug so that a filling substance does not enter the test drillhole when the filling substance is injected into the first drill hole;injecting the filling substance into the first drill hole under pressureso that the filling substance seeps into the concrete structure to fillchannels in the concrete structure; after the injecting step, removingthe plug from the test drill hole; following hardening of the fillingsubstance in the channels of the concrete structure and the removingstep, determining a quality flow rate and a quality pressure bydirecting the test liquid into the test drill hole.
 2. The methodrecited in claim 1, further comprising the step of comparing thebaseline flow rate and the baseline pressure to the quality flow rateand the quality baseline pressure to determine an effectiveness of theinjecting step.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of forming thetest drill hole and the first drill hole comprising the step of formingthe holes about 40% to 60% of a thickness of the concrete structure. 4.The method recited in claim 1, wherein the steps of forming the firstdrill hole and the test drill hole includes the steps of drilling thefirst and test drill holes into the concrete structure at an angleperpendicular to the first surface.
 5. The method recited in claim 1,wherein the step of determining a quality flow rate and quality pressureincludes directing water into the test drill hole.
 6. The method recitedin claim 5, further comprising the step of comparing a baseline ratio,Q₁/P₁, to a quality ratio, Q₂/P₂ wherein Q₁ is the baseline flow rate,P1 is the baseline pressure, Q2 is the quality flow rate and P2 is thequality pressure.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first drill holeand the test hole is about 6 inches to 18 inches apart.
 8. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising the step of forming a second drill hole inthe concrete structure, the second drill hole being 6 inches to 18inches apart from the first drill hole.
 9. The method of claim 8 whereinthe first and second drill holes are adjacent to each other so that thefilling substance injected into the first drill hole travels more than ½a distance between the first and second drill holes.
 10. The method ofclaim 8 wherein the first and second drill holes are parallel to eachother.
 11. The method of claim 8 wherein the first and second drillholes each have an inner diameter between 0.2 inches and 3 inches. 12.The method of claim 7 wherein the first drill hole and the test drillhole are parallel to each other.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein theinjecting step fills the channels within the concrete structure startingfrom within the concrete structure.